Gusset corner folding box



Aug- 15, 1967 .1.MCK. MCCALLUM GUSSET CORNER FOLDING vBQX Filed Sept. 2l, 1964 INVENTOR JOM/Mrk ma 0M www4 ,i 6,

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AUnited States Patent O ce 3,335,935 GUSSET CORNER FOLDING BOX .lohn McK. McCallum, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, assignor to Bathurst Paper Limited', Montreal, Quebec, Canada Filed Sept. 21, 1964, Ser. No. 398,488 4 Claims. (Cl. 229-31) VThis invention relates to a paper board c-ontainer having a construction that is especially suitable for corrugated board.

It has been, for many years, common practice to make containers of the knockdown form from paper board. Such containers have been extensively used for packaging items of clothing. For exa-mple, most tailors wrap suits in containers of this type. Hard board has been commonly used as a material because the folding construction depended upon the use of slits and tabs that entered into the slits to hold the container in a set up position. Corrugated board has been little used for containers of this general class because the slit and tab interlocking arrangement for holding the container in the set up position is not suitable to the thick corrugated board. Corrugated board, on the other hand, is in many cases a superior material to hard board because it has greater strength and offers a better protection to the articles that are packaged.

This invention relates to a container that can be supplied in knockdown form and simply assembled without the use of staples and which can be manufactured conveniently out of a corrugated board. Thus, the combined advantages of a knockdown type of container and the strength of corrugated board are achieved with this invention.

Generally speaking a container according to this invention is made from a flat blank that is formed with fold lines and cuts to make the bottom, side Walls and top. One of each communicating side wall is formed with a locking panel that is in close parallel spaced relation to the side wall with which it forms a corner. The locking panel and side wall have tie means formed therefrom that locks them in close parallel spaced relation, the tie means being stricken from and being part of the blank from which the container is folded. The invention will be clearly understood after reference to the following detailed specification read in conjunction with the drawings.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a view of a blank from which a container according to this invention is formed.

FIGURE 2 is a view of one end of the container as it it being set up.

FIGURE 3 shows the last step in setting up a single corner of the container, and

FIGURE 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the operation of the tie means that holds the container in set up position at the corners.

In the drawings FIGURE 1 shows a blank from which a container according to this invention is formed. It is preferably made from corrugated paper board. The board has exceptional strength characteristics and makes a rigid goodlooking container when set up.

The blank has a bottom panel 10, side wall panels 12, 14, 16 and 18, and a top wall 20 which has closure flaps 22, 24, and 26.

When the container is set up, the side walls are folded to assume a vertical position with respect to the bottom. The corner construction at adjacent side walls is the same at each of the four corners and will be described in connection with the corner between side walls 12 and 14.

Side wall 12 has a triangular locking panel 28 connected thereto which is formed along one edge with a notch 30. Side wall 14 is formed with a tab having a neck portion 32 and a head portion 34. The tab constituted by the 3,335,935 Patented Aug. 15, 1967 neck 32 and head 34 cooperates with the notch 30 to Iform a tie means to secure the corner in set up position as Will be apparent later. A second fold panel 36 is formed to complete the corner construction. It is formed with a notch 38 to permit the neck 32 of the tab to pass as will be apparent later.

It will be noted that the notch 30 is formed with a restriction 40 in its width at a point spaced from its bottom. The restriction is less in width than the unflexed width of the neck 32 of the tab, but greater in width than the flexed width of the tab so that the tab when flexed can pass through the restriction, but when permitted to unilex reasserts itself to lock itself into the bottom portion of the notch 30 below the restriction.

The vari-ous walls and panels yare joined to each other by a weakened fold line according to standard box making practice.

In order to set up a blank as illustrated in FIGURE 1, one actuates adjacent side walls to a vertical position and guides the locking panel 28 and its companion panel 36 inwardly of the box as illustrated in FIGURE 2. When the adjacent walls are in a set up position at right angles to the bottom of the box, the locking panel 28 is in close parallel relation to the end wall 14, being separated therefrom only by the companion corner panel 36. In this p0- sition, the tab formed by the neck and the head 34 is erect and extending upwardly from the notches 30 and 38. To lock the corner one merely folds the tab downwardly to the position illustrated in FIGURE 3 with the neck of the tab in the notch 30 and the head thereof in parallel relation to the locking panel 28, As the neck is forced to the bottom of the notch 30, it passes and is flexed by the restriction 40 in the notch 30. The restriction 40, as noted from the drawing, is spaced from the bottom and from the top of the notch 30. As it passes the narrowest point in the restriction, it reasserts itself again against the side of the notch. In this position, the restriction 40 holds it in the bottom of the notch. Notch 38, as will be noted, is sufficiently large to provide clearance for the neck 32 of the tab, when the neck is iiexed. The head 34 is then bent to lie in parallel relation to the side iiap 28.

The corner once set up, as illustrated in FIGURE 3, is a secure corner formation. All four corners are set up in a similar fashion. Following this, the flaps 22, 24, and 26 of the lid are bent into place and as the lids close they slip inside of the box to form a secure and strong box for container construction.

Embodiments of the invention other than the one illustrated will be apparent to those skilled in the art and it is not intended that this invention should be restricted to the embodiment illustrated.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A knockdown type of container 4made from a corrugated paper board comprising a bottom, side walls, and a top hinged to one of said side walls, said bottom side walls and top each being part of a single piece of foldable board and each being defined at least in part by a fold line in said board, said side walls communicating with an adjacent side wall at a corner, the iirst side wall at said corner being formed with a locking panel that is in close parallel spaced relation to the second side wall with which it forms a corner, said locking panel and said second wall having tie means extending therebetween and formed therefrom that locks them in close parallel spaced relation as aforesaid, said tie `means including a tab having a stem and a head adjacent the free end of the stern and an open notch having a width at its bottom adapted to receive said stem of said tab, said tab being folded to extend said stem through said notch adjacent the bottom thereof and disposed said head in juxtaposition to said second side wall and said locking panel, said stem having a length to dispose said head adjacent said notch when said tab is folded as aforesaid, said notch having a restriction in its Width at a point spaced from its bottom and spaced from its top, said restriction having a width that is less than the unflcxed width of said stem of said tab and more than the ilexed width of said tab whereby said tab can be ilexed to pass said restriction and enter the portion of said notch below said restriction.

2. A knockdown container as claimed in claim 1, in which said tab is formed in said side Wall and said notch is formed in said locking panel.

3. A blank of corrugated paper board to be folded to form a container having a hinged top closure comprising a bottom, a top, side walls ladapted to communicate with adjacent side walls at a corner when the container is set up; locking panels joined to at least some of said side walls adapted to lie in close parallel relation to a side wall with which the side wall to which it is joined forms a corner when the container is set up; tie means for each of said locking panels and its respective side wall adapted to cooperate with said locking,r panels and a side Wall with which it is in close parallel relation when the box is set up to lock the locking panel and side wall in said close parallel relation; said bottom, said top, said side walls, said locking panels and said tie means all being formed from a single blank and each being defined at least in part by a fold line between it and an adjacent one of said elements, said tie means including a tab having a stem and a head adjacent the free end of said stern and an open notch having a width at its bottom adapted to receive said stem of said tab, said tab being adapted for bending to extend said stem through said notch and dispose said head in juxtaposition to said locking panel and second wall when said container is set up, said stern having a length to dispose said head adjacent said notch when said tab is folded as aforesaid, said notch having a restriction in its width at a point spaced from its bottom and spaced from its top, said restriction having a width that is less than the unilexed width of the stem of said tab and more than the exed width of said tab whereby said tab can be flexed to pass said restriction and enter the portion Iof said notch below said restriction.

4. A knockdown container as claimed in claim 3, in which said tab is formed in said side wall and said notch is formed in said locking panel.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,116,652 5/ 1938 Adler 229-39 XR 2,357,155 8/1944 Williams et al 22S-35 2,846,132 8/1958 Caspester 229-31 3,008,626 11/ 1961 Lowence 229-35 3,054,550 9/ 1962 Constock 229-31 3,246,829 4/ 1966 Sexton 229-31 JOSEPH R, LECLAIR, Primary Examiner.

D. T. MOORHEAD, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A KNOCKDOWN TYPE OF CONTAINER MADE FROM A CORRUGATED PAPER BOARD COMPRISING A BOTTOM, SIDE WALLS, AND A TOP HINGED TO ONE OF SAID SIDE WALLS, SAID BOTTOM SIDE WALLS AND TOP EACH BEING PART OF A SINGLE PIECE OF FOLDABLE BOARD AND EACH BEING DEFINED AT LEAST IN PART BY A FOLD LINE IN SAID BOARD, SAID SIDE WALLS COMMUNICATING WITH AN ADJACENT SIDE WALL AT A CORNER, THE FIRST SIDE WALL AT SAID CORNER BEING FORMED WITH A LOCKING PANEL THAT IS IN CLOSE PARALLEL SPACED RELATION TO THE SECOND SIDE WALL WITH WHICH IT FORMS A CORNER, SAID LOCKING PANEL AND SAID SECOND WALL HAVING TIE MEANS EXTENDING THEREBETWEEN AND FORMED THEREFROM THAT LOCKS THEM IN CLOSE PARALLEL SPACED RELATION AS AFORESAID, SAID TIE MEANS INCLUDING A TAB HAVING A STEM AND A HEAD ADJACENT THE FREE END OF THE STEM AND AN OPEN NOTCH HAVING A WIDTH AT ITS BOTTOM ADAPTED TO RECEIVE SAID STEM OF SAID TAB, SAID TAB BEING FOLDED TO EXTEND SAID STEM THROUGH SAID NOTCH ADJACENT THE BOTTOM THEREOF AND DISPOSED SAID HEAD IN JUXTAPOSITION TO SAID SECOND SIDE WALL AND SAID LOCKING PANEL, SAID STEM HAVING A LENGTH TO DISPOSE SAID HEAD ADJACENT SAID NOTCH WHEN SAID TAB IS FOLDED AS AFORESAID, SAID NOTCH HAVING A RESTRICTION IN ITS WIDTH AT A POINT SPACED FROM ITS BOTTOM AND SPACED FROM ITS TOP, SAID RESTRICTION HAVING A WIDTH THAT IS LESS THAN THE UNFLEXED WIDTH OF SAID STEM OF SAID TAB AND MORE THAN THE FLEXED WIDTH OF SAID TAB WHEREBY SAID TAB CAN BE FLEXED TO PASS SAID RESTRICTION AND ENTER THE PORTION OF SAID NOTCH BELOW SAID RESTRICTION. 